Issue - meetings

An interview with Sue Whiteside, Team Leader, Spatial Policy.

Sue Whiteside, Team Leader, Spatial Policy presented her report.

Mrs Whiteside explained the work of Design South East (DSE), an independent not-for-profit organisation, during the Maidstone Local Plan consultation (period 21 March to 7 May 2014) carried out under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

DSE was commissioned to engage with the ten parish councils designated as either rural service centres or larger villages in the draft Local Plan.  The aim was to establish how much understanding these parish councils had of the local plan process and ensure they felt their views had been listened to constructively.

DSE facilitated workshops focused on identifying:

·  A consensual vision for the place;

·  The physical characteristics of each area, and;

·  A clear and constructive expression of the community’s expectations for the quality of any new development.

DSE found, broadly, the parish councils fell into three groups:

·  Those with a good understanding of the local plan process and had produced a draft neighbourhood plan, but needed to understand the relationship between local plans and neighbourhood plans, the policy ‘hooks’ that connected them;

·  Those whose main issues were site based, and;

·  Those who had questions relating to infrastructure, communication or the local plan process.

Full details of the results on the consultation were included in the interim report attached to the agenda.  A full report would be available after the multi stakeholder event of 17 September 2014.

Mrs Whiteside outlined the four recommendations made by DSE and explained the work already carried out.  The four recommendations were:

·  An inclusive, coherent communications strategy;

·  A strategy that ensured parish councils have an active part in the decision making process;

·  Setting a clear vision for each of the rural service centres and larger villages, and;

·  Sharing of knowledge among parish councils.

During lengthy discussion the committee made the following points:

·  No acknowledgement had been made in the report that where a Neighbourhood Plan was emerging it should inform the Local Plan.  Mrs Whiteside agreed it was a two way process and this was being addressed as the Local Plan moved forward with discussions with parish councils working on their Neighbourhood Plan.

·  The committee agreed parish councils should receive feedback regarding the changes made to the local plan as a result of their input as well as when changes are not made and the reasons why.

·  It was explained that the multi-stakeholder meeting held on 17 September in Staplehurst provided an opportunity for parish councils and residents throughout the borough to discuss their concerns regarding infrastructure with the providers, i.e. Southern Water, KCC Highways, education.

·  Mrs Whiteside confirmed the term ‘active involvement’ (paragraph 1.3.19 of report for agenda item 9) will be defined in the action plan that would follow after the multi-stakeholder meeting of 17 September 2014.  Mrs Whiteside went on to explain there would be on-going engagement with parish councils during the development of the local plan.  Parishes would be involved in site selection during the meetings held in September and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56